American's Don't Understand Portion Sizes: Major Obesity Cause
Among the main factors being blamed for the American obesity epidemic is that we don’t understand portion sizes. After all, the number of calories you consume isn’t just a matter of eating lighter foods. You also need to consider the amount you’re eating.
For many people, it is quite difficult to understand portion sizes. After all, they’ve been slowly growing over time. Today’s servings are considerably larger than what they used to be. This occurred along with the popularity of fast food. Chains learned about a concept called value sizing. Value sizing occurs when people will pay a higher price when they receive a larger serving.
In this way, fast food chains came to understand portion sizes in terms of their perceived value. Consumers became accustomed to value sizing and these larger servings became “normal.” That said, the fast food companies didn’t stop at small, medium and large. Now there are even larger options, even taller burgers and combos that give you twice as much as a basic order. As value sizing increases the serving size, our perception of a portion grows with it.
This is no longer isolated to fast food restaurants. It has moved into the portion sizes in virtually every place that food is sold, from grocery stores to cafés, bakeries and restaurants. Two decades ago, the average bagel contained 200 calories and was three inches in diameter. Today, it is twice that diameter and 500 calories. The most common size of coffee is purchased in a 16 ounce cup. Twenty years ago, it was half that size. Soda servings have increased by 52 percent, Mexican restaurant entrees are 27 percent larger and burgers are 23 percent bigger.
What are we supposed to do? After all, this trend is well ingrained into our society. Many Americans have lived with this trend their entire adult lives. Moreover, don’t we want to get the best deal when we go out to eat? Of course!
The key is in understanding that the majority of meals served at restaurants are enough for two servings. What this means is that a very large meal could provide you with enough food for two dinners. A slightly smaller one could provide you with enough food for a dinner and a lunch. Don’t be afraid to bring home the food you don’t want to eat.
Start learning about the amount of food you should actually be eating at a sitting. Begin applying that to your everyday life. Soon, you’ll find you’re enjoying a great meal at a restaurant and can have the leftovers for a phenomenal lunch. You’ll appreciate your decision the next day.
If you need a bit of help in curbing your hunger as you adjust to the smaller meals, consider using Phentramin-d. Its appetite suppressants could make significant difference.
